Fujifilm FinePix S9950W
Around 2015 Fuji continued their trend of producing very capable bridge cameras with one you might joke was one on steroids.
A largish and somewhat heavy camera, it featured a 16-megapixel sensor and a massive 50x optical zoom lens. In film terms that’s 24mm wide angle to 1200mm telephoto!
Still running on four standard AA batteries, it has built-in Wi-Fi for wireless sharing and remote control.
But more important, the Wifi feature allows full remote control including seeing what the camera sees via an app on your smart phone. This includes zooming and taking the shot. Finally, I was able to get a family event shot that included me in it as well!
It offers full HD 1080p video stereo recording, but not 4K. Sadly there was no flip around screen or place to plug in a microphone. It was pre-”vlogger.”
Like the X-5, it does not have a full range of manual shutter speeds and f/stop lens opening. But the menu of choices and tweaks are robust.
I found both of these cameras in some kind of “open box” discount deak on Woot years ago. They are two very different kinds of bridge camera with the Fuji being a bit more serious feeling and the X-5 more grab ‘n go. The Fuji's zoom range is remarkable.
Today the Fuji sells for under $70 on eBay.
The app to use it with a SmartPhone is still available, as is the Apple version.
